BfN President Sabine Riewenherm: “The EU Nature Restoration Law is hugely important for nature conservation. It is essential to approach implementation in dialogue with the relevant stakeholder groups. From our experience with numerous nature conservation funding projects that we have launched with stakeholders from sectors such as agriculture, we know that measures to restore resilient ecosystems and their diverse ecosystem services are especially beneficial for society if they are developed on a participatory basis.”

The BfN website provides information material in English on the participatory implementation of restoration measures. This summarises the outcomes of a multi-day BfN workshop entitled “Making people part of ecosystem restoration in Europe”, which brought together some 60 European experts in October 2023.

The EU Regulation on Nature Restoration aims to halt the loss of biodiversity in the EU, make ecosystems more resilient and contribute to natural climate change mitigation. To this end, it provides among other things for restoration measures to be put in place by 2030 covering at least 20% of land and sea areas in the EU. The Regulation takes a broad approach, covering the entire landscape – for semi-natural forests, free-flowing rivers, intact peatlands, vibrant agricultural landscapes, healthy seas and diverse urban nature.